Buffer-stem wear plate adjuster



June 14, 1932. M s, JOHNSON 1,862,857

BUFFER STEM WEAR PLATE ADJUSTER Filed NOV-'5, 1950 2 SheetSheet 1 June 14, 1932. M, s, JQHNSON y l',862,857

BUFFER STEM WEAR PLATE ADJUSTER Filed Nov. 5. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imfertov gg. I I W @wp ovm/gy Patented .lune 14, 1932 PTN MALCOLM S. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TRANSERV CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS :BUFFER-STEM `WEAR PLATE ADJUS'I'R Application filed November 5, 1930. Serial No. 493,492.

My invention relates to means for slidingly supporting the stems of the buifer plate or member of a railroad passenger car; said means not only being intended to take the `l5, wear resulting from the constant frictional sliding movement of the buHer-stems, but also to take up excess play between the bufferstems and the walls of the channels or passages in the end sill portion of the car platform underframe and thus prevent the chatter and vibration resulting from improper play of the buffer-stems in the channels or passageways; my improved wear plate being adapted to be regulated or forced upwardly beneath the buffer-stems to take up excess wear, until the wear plates have become completely worn.

My invention also has for its obj ect the provision of means of the character referred to which will permit of the ready removal of the buffenstem supporting members or wear plates when excess wear has been encountered, without necessitating the vdismantling of the buifer mechanism of the car. y s

The objects vand advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawings, whereiny Figure 1 is a sectional plan View of a portion of a car platform underframe and buffer providedwith my improved means.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, as viewed b v the arrows.

Figure 3 is a` verticalfsectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, as viewed by the arrows.

Figure 4 is an inverted perspective view of the adjusting element holding member of my improved means.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 2, illustrating a modified form of my invention.

Figure 6 is an inverted perspective view of the wear plate, shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the wear plate holding element shown in Figure 5.

As my invention does not relate to the car platform underframe and buffer construc-` 59 tion, a detailed description of these elements,

beyond the portions with which my invention is concerned, need not be entered into.

Railroad car platform underframes are generally provided with an end sill portion indicated at 10 which is usually given an arcuate formation, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1.

The underframeis also provided with longitudinally disposed passageways or channels 12, shown more clearly in Figure 2. These channels are intended to receive the lstems 13 and 14, 14 whereby the buffer ele ment 15 is yieldingly supported in place. It is Vusual in buier constructions to have the two sides or end stems 14, 14 pivotally connected to the buifer element 15, as shown at 16 in Figure 1 while the center stem 13 is unattached and provided with an arcuate outer Vccs end to vpermit a rocking relation between the buffer element and its supporting stems.

' The channels or passageways 12 of neces sity are of dimensions suificient to permit free movement of the stems therein, with the result that the buffer-stems have va tendency to rattle in the passageways or channels with such excessive play, especially after the same have become worn due to the constant in-andout movement and vibration resulting during train operation. As is apparent, the wear is not only encountered by the buffer-stems themselves, but such wear also takes place on the bottom walls of the channels or passageways 12. When this wear becomes excessive, replacement of the buffer-stems and, in certain instances, repair of the end sill portion of the car platform nnderframe become necessary, thereby entailing considerable expense and loss of time.

My invention consists in providing a suitable wear plate 17, preferably of rectangular construction in keeping with the cross sectional construction of the buffer-stems.

The wear plate is formed to permit it to be readily inserted in the respective channels or passageways 12 beneath the respective bufferstems so as to slidingly hold or support the buffer-stems, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In order that the wear plate 17 may be properly positioned and held against movement lengthwise of the buEer-stcms, the end sill portion 10 of the platform underfraine, in vertical alignment with each channel or passageway 12, is provided with a vertical opening 18 leading upward from the underside of the end sill poitioii 10; and these openings 18 are intended to receive the boss formation 19 arranged on the under faces of the wear plates 17 in the manner disclosed in Figures 2 and 3.

I prefer to provide each wear plate with a central opening 2O extending therethrough, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The wear plates 19 are each forced into supporting relation with the respective buffersteins b y an adjustable bolt 21, whose upper end seats at the orifice of the opening 20.

The bolt 21 screws through a tapped opening in the plate 22 which has extensions at opposite sides provided with apertures 28 to receive the fastening means or bolts 24 which screw into the bottom of the end sill portion of the underframe.

In order to provide sufficient purchase for the bolts 21, and at the same time ensure proper positioning of the plates 22, they are shown provided on their upper faces with the integral boss formations 25 which extend into the vertical openings 18, and on their lowei faces with the enlargements or bosses 26. Each bolt 21 is also preferably provided with a lock-nut as at 27 so as to hold the bolts in their adjusted positions.

Then the wear plates and the buffer-stems become worn, this wear may be taken up by n simply screwing the bolts 21 farther through the holding plates 22, thus preventing the undue vibration and chatter of the bufferstems in the platform underframe.

When the wear plates become too worn, the buffer 15 is removed and new wear plates are then inserted through the outer ends of the channels or passageways 12 in the platform iinderfraine.

In Figures 5 to 7, I illustrate a modified form of the invention in so far as the wear plate construction is concerned.

he general arrangement and operation of the exemplilication shown in Figure 5 (which is a view similar to Figure 2) is the saine as the form shown in the previous iigiiies, except that the wear plate 28 is not provided oii its lower face with the comparatively large boss or hub formation 19 as in Figure 2, but is provided with a preferably ta pered opening 29 at the center flaring toward the bottom; and the lower face of the plate about the opening 29 is preferably provided with an annular shoulder 30.

Mounted in the vertical opening 1S, extending from the bottom of the platform underfraine, cach longitudinal channel 12, is a follower' member 31, shown in detail in Figure 7. The member 31 is adapted 'to fit more or less freely in the vertical opening 18; and on its upper face is provided with a tapered upstanding portion or boss 32 which is intended to lit into the upwardly tapering hole 29 in the buffer-stem supporting wear plate 28; while the upper face of the main body of the follower member 31 is adapted to seat on the annular shoulder 30 of the wear plate 28, as shown in Figure 5.

The lower face of the follower member 3l is preferably provided with a countersunl portion or socket as at 33 to receive the end of the adjusting bolt 21, which, like in the previous construction, screws through a tapped opening in the holding member or plate 22 which may be similar to the construction heretoforc shown and described and which is shown held in place by the bolts 24.

l/Vith the construction shown in Figures 5 to 7, when the wear plate 28 becomes completely worn through the constant frictional sliding of the louder-stems, the wear plates 28 may be readily removed by simply unscrewing the adjusting bolt 21 sufficiently to permit the boss 32 of the follower member 31 to clear the lower face of the wear plate 28, permitting the latter to be taken out through the end of the longitudinal channel or passageway 12, obviating the necessity of dismantling the buffer members.

A new wear plate may then be inserted endwise through the end of the channel 12 until its annular shoulder 30 enters the vertical opening 18. The adjusting bolt 21 is then screwed upwardly, thereby forcing the boss 32 of the follower member 31 into the tapered opening in the wear plate and the latter forced into proper supporting relation with the bottom of the buffer-stem so as to prevent undue vibration and rattle.

The exemplifications of the invention disclosed in the drawings are believed to be the best embodiments of the invention which have been described in terms employed merely as terms of description and not as terms of limitation, as structural modifications are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A buffer-stem wear plate adjuster comprising a wear plate adapted to fit into the il buffer-stem channel of the platform underframe of a railroad car, the underframe having an opening transverse to the buffer-stem, the wear plate on its lower face being provided with an opening, a follower member arranged in said transverse opening and provided with an upstanding portion adapted to fit into the opening in the wear plate to loclr the latter in place, an adjusting bolt adapted to engage with the lower end of the follower member and thereby force the latter upwardly and hold the wear plate in supporting relation with the buffer-stem, and

means adapted to be secured to the bottom of the underframe whereby the bolt is adjustably held in place.

2. A buffer-stem wear plate adapted to support a buffer-stem in a car platform under- 1frame, the underframe having an opening transverse to the buii'er-stem, said plate being provided on its lower face with a tapered opening and a shoulder and adapted to be endwisely inserted into place, a follower member slidable in said transverse opening in the underframe and provided on its upper face with a tapered boss adapted to fit into said tapered opening and to seat on said shoulder whereby the wear plate is locked in place, a screw-bolt adapted to engage the lower face of the follower member, and means through which said bolt is screwed, said means being adapted to be secured to the lower face of a platform underframe.

MALCOLM S. JOHNSON. 

